They Walk In Starlight
by OptimisticLivvy
Summary: Post-Battle of Five Armies AU. Kili and Tauriel have survived all that has been thrown at them, and they discover that perhaps they are more than just kindred spirits.


Buried with honour. That was not enough.

The Battle of Five Armies was over and Kili had lost his brother and his uncle, with his brother getting buried with honour for defending their home and their king. It was not enough for Kili, because they had been so brave along with everyone else and they were the ones that had to _die_. It wasn't fair in the slightest, either, that he had been able to live while they could not.

He stared at the spots where his family had been buried for a few more moments and briskly turned and walked away, a stony expression upon his face. So much for victory and being Thorin's heir. But there was nothing much left of Erebor to even consider ruling, not after the Battle, and certainly not after Smaug. It was not as homely as it must have been before.

And there was certainly no home without his brother. They had always been close, but since the Quest for Erebor, they had grown even closer, due to being the youngest dwarves of the group, and now there was nothing much left for Kili in regards to the Company. At least now he could take his share of gold and return home to his mother, just like he promised her he would. But that would mean he'd have to tell her about Fili, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that at the moment. He wasn't ready to go to a home without Fili.

As he was walking away, back to one of the few standing stone homes they'd been using for shelter, Kili heard the pattering of footsteps behind him, trying to catch up with him. He wasn't in the mood for talking to anybody, not at right now. So he continued on into the shelter, simply ignoring the footsteps getting faster and more frantic as the person tried to catch up with him.

"Kili, wait," came the familiar voice of Bilbo. The dwarf turned round to see the little hobbit slowing to a stop inside the entrance of the shelter.

"I don't want to talk," he said, going over to his bag, making sure that everything that he needed was in there. Kili picked it up and began to make his way out again, only stopping when Bilbo spoke to him again.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere that isn't here. I can always come back for my gold," he replied, looking out of the shelter and at the dwarves with whom he had travelled with. They were still standing there, paying their respects to Fili and Thorin.

"Gandalf and I – we were going to leave for the Shire tomorrow," Bilbo said, giving Kili a hopeful look in that he might travel with them.

"I don't want to go to the Shire."

"I know, but we can-"

"Bilbo..." he sighed. "I need- I need time. Alone," he started off walking again, really wanting to leave this place now.

"Kili..."

"We'll meet again one day, Master Baggins. I promise you that. I don't break my promises," Kili knew that he was going to return to his mother, but not just yet.

"Of course you wouldn't," the Hobbit replied, almost sadly.

"You were... You were the best burglar," Kili glanced back over his shoulder and gave a small smile, before continuing on without looking back. He wasn't sure if he even had the heart to say goodbye to his kin, but he knew for a fact that Bilbo would tell them what he wanted. Not where he was going, because not even Kili knew that yet.

For now, he settled for walking away and to the boats, one of which would take him back the way they had come. In all honesty, he didn't want to be leaving these people behind, but at the same time he did not want to be around anybody at all. He wanted to mourn alone.

As he came near one of the boats, he chucked his bag into it and then began untying the rope that was around the rock, holding it steady so that it wouldn't drift away in the current. He then climbed into the boat and sat so that he was facing the land beneath the mountain. He picked up the oars and began to row, until a voice made his pause for enough time for him to see who it was coming from.

Tauriel walked out from behind the rocks, entering his line of sight. Kili merely stared at her, just like he always did when she was around. Every time she was near, it was like there was nothing else in the world but her beauty, her orange hair aflame as it shone in the pale light of the day. Just for a moment, Kili was taken away from his pain as he looked upon the she-elf who was his kindred spirit. He was taken away from his pain of loss, and just in that moment, that was what he needed.

"T-Tauriel," was all he said.

"Leaving so soon? I would have thought you would have wished to remain with your folk," she said, climbing on top of the boulder and leaping from it elegantly, landing gracefully in the punt just opposite Kili.

"I wanted to be alone," he replied, his eyes never leaving her face as she sat down.

"While that is understandable, is that what you truly want right now?" she asked him.

"Yes," he tried not to sound harsh, but he couldn't help it.

"So you're going to leave behind all those people without even a goodbye?"

"Yes," he repeated, but as more of a mumble than anything, and he began to row again, with Tauriel still there. "Everything was in vain."

"It wasn't. The dragon was slain, we won the battle and there may have been a few losses but they were _not_ in vain, Kili," she told him, looking at him somewhat hopefully. "Don't let yourself be alone, not when others need you."

"They have each other."

"Don't be so stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn," Kili stared down at his feet as he rowed, not wanting to look her in the eye any longer. "I just want to be with my brother."

"I know," she said quietly in response.

"I also want to be alone."

"I know," Tauriel repeated, but not bothering to act upon the hint that was in his voice. She would not leave Kili to drown in his own sorrow, because not only would it be unkind, but she was unable to do so. "I'd like to be alone too, if that helps."

Kili looked back up at Tauriel and smiled at her, earning one back from the she-elf, because that meant they could be alone together.

* * *

**I recently saw Desolation of Smaug and then I got a post-Battle idea which wouldn't leave me alone. All I ever wanted when I was younger and had been reading The Hobbit was for Kili to get a happy ending but nope. That didn't happen. Anyway, this fic is going to be fairly short, I think, and it may or may not be updated frequently.**

**-OL**


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